Poland Charges Russian Air Traffic Controllers in Crash
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Version 0 of 1. WARSAW — Polish military prosecutors charged two Russian air traffic controllers on Friday in a 2010 plane crash in western Russia that killed President Lech Kaczynski and 95 top-ranking officials traveling with him. The charges are likely to strain already tense relations between Poland and Russia. After an almost five-year investigation, a prosecutor, Col. Ireneusz Szelag, said at a news briefing that the flight controllers from the Smolensk airport, where the presidential aircraft tried to land in poor weather conditions, were being charged with contributing to the crash. “One of the controllers has been charged with direct responsibility for the crash and one with indirect responsibility,” Colonel Szelag said, adding that he could not reveal further details. The Russian traffic controllers could face up to eight years in prison. However, Colonel Szelag said that the most immediate cause of the crash had been the Polish crew’s poor training and negligent behavior, which resulted in the plane’s descending too far below a layer of fog and failing to heed an automated warning to pull up. The crew also did not have the required permission to fly the presidential aircraft. Relatives of the crash victims intend to ask Russia for compensation of about 250,000 Polish zloty, or about $67,000 each, said Roman Giertych, who represents some of the families. The revelations by the military prosecutors were immediately seized upon by the conservative Law and Justice party, the biggest opposition party in Poland, founded by Mr. Kaczynski and his twin brother, Jaroslaw, a former prime minister who has long claimed that the president was assassinated, possibly by the Russians. Jaroslaw Kaczynski also believes that the Polish government led by Donald Tusk, who has since resigned to become president of the European Council, was involved in a cover-up. Antoni Macierewicz, a senior member of Law and Justice, accused the investigators of “leading the public astray” and said the crash had been caused by a mysterious explosion on board that ripped the aircraft apart. Russia still has not returned the aircraft wreckage, despite repeated requests by Polish officials. |